On the night of the Clutha tragedy, Jim Murphy did what some people might not have done, he ran towards the danger to help.

Even his staunchest critic would admit he’s never sought to make political capital of the tragedy which he got caught up in.

To accuse him of doing so is a new political low, although in the polarised nation created by the referendum it doesn’t come as a great surprise.

There is a big problem with online abuse in politics which is not proportionately reflected in the rest of the UK or western Europe.

Despite protests to the contrary, much of the bile comes from a nationalist perspective.

From taking pictures of themselves burning books to posting abuse, the nationalists’ lunatic fringe do nothing for their espoused cause. In fact, they cause it great damage.

Many of these keyboard cowards would be mumbling their bile ignored in the corner of bar rooms were it not for the platform the internet gives to their outpourings of hate.

Murphy, it has to be said, is having a substantial impact on Scottish politics.

Like him or not, he is visible, he has set the agenda and on issues like ending the football alcohol ban he has hit the nail on the head.

It is clearly discriminatory to allow rugby fans to enjoy a pint at Murrayfield while only a few hundred yards away at Tynecastle booze is banned – a point the Daily Record has been making for more than a year.

Make no mistake, Scottish Labour, trailing massively behind the SNP in the polls, have got a mountain to climb between and now and the General Election in May.

But the haters wouldn’t hate Murphy half as much if he wasn’t so effective.

Bottom of the class

Anyone can see that the more teachers we have, the better the outcome will be for pupils.

For Scottish councils to try to argue the opposite while engaged in a turf war with John Swinney over who runs schools makes them look like the school dunces.

Cosla, representing the councils, are right in one sense. It should indeed be councils who decide how many teachers they employ, not ministers in Edinburgh tugging on the purse strings if they do not comply.

But to argue that fewer teachers equal better outcomes – well, that is just dumb.

Legend of newsroom

GORDON Airs, who died on Saturday morning, was the reporter’s reporter.

He had newspapers in his DNA, could spot a story at a thousand yards and never let go until it was in the paper – usually on page one of the Daily Record.